Creamiest vegan butter chickn curry
This is one of our tastiest curry recipes, so vibrant, looks and tastes as good as a Friday night take out! Easy and quick to make, once you try this vegan butter chickn you will be hooked. We use meaty mushrooms and then finish them in a super creamy rich sauce.
Takes: 25 mins
Makes: 3 Servings | Difficulty: Beginner
The original “Butter Chicken” recipe is thought to have originated in a restaurant trying to use leftover chicken tandoori – they cooked it in a super buttery creamy sauce to moisten the chicken. It is a delicious tomato and cream rich curry traditionally called Murgh makhani – like many Indian dishes, there is a depth of flavour built up by cooking onions until soft and using spices. In our vegan version using meaty marinated mushrooms grilled and then finished in a super creamy rich sauce – we use mushrooms in our recipe but you can also use tofu instead, simply marinate it the same way we marinate our mushrooms for a super delicious alternative version to this great recipe – so delicious!
FAQ – frequently asked questions
Yes of course, mushrooms work really well as they have a meaty texture. But you can use tofu or aubergine or sweet potato instead, just making sure the veg are cooked through before adding the sauce.
No problem, simply use an equal amount of curry powder in place of all the different spices.
Yes indeed it freezes really well and heats up great.
Store it in a reusable tub in the fridge. It will last for 2 days in the fridge.
yes simply use approx 15ml good quality oil.
It will last for 2 days in the fridge
Yes
Yes, you can use parsley or your favourite leafy green herb.
Serving suggestions for this butter chickn recipe ;
- This curry goes great with the flatbread from this Tagine and flatbread recipe.
- Another great side for this curry is the dosa savoury pancake from this channa masala recipe
- Pickles and curry are so great together . We love to add a little kim chi on the side with our curries
Some of our favourite curry recipes
- This is one of our favourites! a Bombay potato curry
- Another great easy Curry winner is this vegan sweet potato and coconut curry
- Here is a lovely easy quick dahl recipe so easy to make.
Creamiest Vegan Butter Chickn Curry
Takes 25 minutes
Serves 3
Ingredients
For the Mushrooms:
- 400 g oyster mushrooms (maitake, shiitake, or chestnut mushrooms)
For the Marinade:
- 3 tbsp Happy Pear roasted red pepper pesto (or pesto of choice)
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Pinch of salt
For the Sauce:
- 1 onion (diced)
- 50 g cashews
- ½ thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (grated or finely diced)
- 2 large cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 whole cardamom pods
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil
- 20 g vegan butter
- 400 g tin of coconut milk (cream from the top only)
- 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
To Serve:
- 15 g fresh coriander (chopped)
Instructions
- Fill and boil the kettle. Place the cashew nuts in a bowl, cover them with just-boiled water, and leave to sit for 10 minutes to soften.
- Cut the mushrooms into strips. Dice the onion. Peel and finely chop the garlic, and grate or finely dice the ginger.
- Mix together the marinade ingredients. Toss the mushrooms in the marinade to coat them well. If possible, leave this overnight for enhanced flavour.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan on high. Once hot, add 1 tsp of oil and the marinated mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms start to char and turn golden. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- To make the butter sauce, clean the pan by giving it a quick wipe.
- Melt the butter and olive oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, cardamom pods, and turmeric, cooking for 1 minute until they become fragrant.
- Add the diced onion and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for another minute, stirring.
- Add the remaining spices (garam masala, ground cumin, and ground coriander) and mix well for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil.
- Add the cream from the top layer of the coconut milk (reserve the remaining coconut water for another dish) and stir until melted.
- Drain the cashews and add them to the sauce. Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the pan, add the mushrooms, and heat through. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more salt (we used an additional ¾ tsp) or a squeeze of lemon juice if needed.
- Serve with brown basmati rice or naan, garnish with fresh coriander, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
4 Comments
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Naomi says:
Butter chicken is one of my all time favourites!! Thank you so much for making this vegan version, my family loved it! -
Miriam says:
Thanks for the recipe….it’s definitely a relationship builder 😁
This is one of my partner’s favourite recipes. She would love me to make it for her every week. I make it about once a month…..leave her wanting more. -
Zuzanna says:
I’ve been trying to recreate the butter chicken flavours in a vegan dish and this is as close to perfect as it can get. Love the recipe -
Alana says:
Oh my goodness is this every good!!
It’s as close to the real thing as you can get….my kitchen is a mess now, but it’s so worth it!I would add more oyster mushrooms and less tomatoes, but that’s according to my preference.
This is one for a books for sure.
4 Comments
Butter chicken is one of my all time favourites!! Thank you so much for making this vegan version, my family loved it!
Thanks for the recipe….it’s definitely a relationship builder 😁
This is one of my partner’s favourite recipes. She would love me to make it for her every week. I make it about once a month…..leave her wanting more.
I’ve been trying to recreate the butter chicken flavours in a vegan dish and this is as close to perfect as it can get. Love the recipe
Oh my goodness is this every good!!
It’s as close to the real thing as you can get….my kitchen is a mess now, but it’s so worth it!
I would add more oyster mushrooms and less tomatoes, but that’s according to my preference.
This is one for a books for sure.